Pimentón
Smoked Spanish paprika from La Vera, dried over oak fires and ground to a deep red powder.
Also: Spanish smoked paprika, pimentón de la Vera, pimenton de Murcia
Pimentón is the Spanish version of paprika, and the best known, Pimentón de la Vera, has a protected origin in Extremadura. After harvest, the peppers are dried slowly over smouldering oak wood for about two weeks, then ground in stone mills, producing a deep red powder with a sweet, smoky, woody flavour. It comes in dulce (sweet), agridulce (bittersweet) and picante (hot) styles. It is a base of chorizo, paella and Galician pulpo a la gallega. Pimentón travelled from the Americas with Columbus. The smoke gives a hint of barbecue without any meat.